


worries came to perch on us

by blaiddyyds



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, M/M, One Shot, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Survivor Guilt, all i do is listen to mistki and cry, mlm angst time ;)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:13:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27004861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blaiddyyds/pseuds/blaiddyyds
Summary: Dimitri has no intentions of moving on, nor does he have intentions of putting anything behind him, only tearing down what made him fall. Byleth has no intentions of giving up hope.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	worries came to perch on us

Sometimes, he will do nothing but stand beside the Prince, wordlessly, as he stares at the rubble before him.

The world around Dimitri begins to build itself back up again, people joining hands and forces, bringing themselves together to rebuild what was once lost. Hope is scarce when you are alone, but together, it can be found. It seems that Dimitri has no intentions of building himself back up, nor the world around him, only tearing down what made him fall. 

The Professor glances at the man beside him and takes in his appearance. Heavy bags beneath his eyes and crow’s feet where there should be but skin as soft as newly fallen snow, a scowl to rival that of even the most angry of old men. Dimitri has lived too short a life to be so hurt. Despite his own pain, he cannot fathom what he’s gone through in the past five years, he cannot imagine what he’s been through for the Dimitri he once knew to be so ruthless and cold.

The world around Dimitri begins to move on once again, people joining together and fighting on for what they believe in. There isn’t much he can do but feel bloodlust, the only way he can understand putting an end to this fucking mess. Dimitri has no intentions of moving on, nor does he have intentions of putting anything behind him, only tearing down what made him fall. 

Hours pass. Byleth has grown tired, even though he hasn’t moved from this spot. Dimitri can’t tear his gaze away from the piles of stone and glass before him, even as the monks and soldiers begin to leave the Cathedral for the night, a single guard patrolling the outside. 

Moonlight filters in through the stained glass windows, and Byleth looks up at the images portrayed by the elegant colors and gold, scenes of the Goddess’s benevolence, scenes of Fodlan’s snowfall and springtime, a cycle of birth and death and rebirth. When he looks to Dimitri, he sees the rainbow of colors thrown against his face, dancing against scarred skin like they were created by the Goddess herself to adorn His Highness. Had this been five years ago, Dimitri would have returned the Professor’s gaze and offered a smile, probably asking if he had felt rested from the battle they had returned from the day before. Now, Dimitri does not look up, and there is no smile to be seen. 

“Go.”

The single word echoes throughout the Cathedral, and Byleth’s eyes snap open a little more, widening with shock. He was never great at showing emotions, but the slightest of facial expressions could tell a thousand words.

“I said LEAVE ME,” Dimitri’s voice roared like that of a lion, and Byleth had no intentions of stepping back. 

In the face of a roaring beast, Byleth reaches a hand out and steps closer to Dimitri, knowing full well that the man who was once his friend, his student, is deep within the shell he sees. Dimitri slaps away his hand, only with a little bit of force. It’s obvious that he’s holding himself back. Not even this can deter Byleth, and he steps closer once more. 

“Professor, leave me,” Dimitri damn near growls, turning his head from the shorter man. “I’m sick of your face.”

The words sting, of course, but they are hollow. Wordlessly, Byleth refuses to move.

“Why?”

Another single word that makes Byleth’s eyes widen. 

“Professor, why do you stay? Are you not sickened by me? The Dimitri you loved is not here anymore.”

More silence as Byleth tries to properly word his feelings makes Dimitri uncomfortable. Obviously, he’s not used to conversation with the living. 

“Answer me, damnit! One would think that as a Professor, you would understand a simple command!”

Byleth sighs. 

“My name is Byleth, Dimitri. I am no longer your Professor, but you are still the Dimitri I met five years ago.”

The Prince, taken aback by his words, stumbles. Perhaps it’s the exhaustion of feeling nothing but anger, never the warmth of another human being, just the furious heat of revenge. 

“You have changed, but you are still the Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd I met all those years ago. Your anger is justified.” There is a pause in his speech as he pieces together what he will say next. “I have one last lesson to teach you, though. You must learn that your existence is not meant to be an angry and dismal one. You have a bright future, a promising one, despite the hardships.” 

Byleth walks forward yet again, cautiously yet confidently putting a hand on Dimitri’s back, supporting him. “Your life has been hard, hasn’t it? You’ve struggled, Dimitri. But you can fight past this.”

“Do not lie to me,” Dimitri’s words are spoken through gritted teeth, and for the first time in a long time, tears fight to pour down his cheeks, staining them. “Do not lie to me, Byleth. You are a better man than that, not one of these lying bastards whose heads I long to see on the floor!”

The shout of anger brings the Prince to his knees, Byleth joining him as he lets him cry.

“Do not lie to me,” he repeats. “I want her dead, Professor! I want her dead-”

Pressing Dimitri’s head to his chest, Byleth strokes his hair gently. Feeling such a powerful man tremble in his arms is a terrifying thing, almost a slap in the face and an awakening to their situation. 

“My Dimitri,” he murmurs, sobs coursing through Dimitri’s body, making him shake. “You can cry. It’s okay.”

Between the cries of “father”, “my step-mother”, “I’m sorry”, “Professor”, and other unintelligible things, Dimitri takes deep breaths, a futile attempt to ground himself. The hysteria takes hold, and he grips onto Byleth with all of his strength.

“It will be okay,” Byleth can feel- what is this? Tears- tears. They’re tears, dropping from his eyelashes onto his cheeks. He hasn’t cried in years. In fact, he doesn’t remember crying as a child. When was the last time he cried? It’s a question that troubles the Professor, but leaves him without an answer.

Upon feeling the droplets on the top of his head, Dimitri looks up, taking in the sight of Byleth’s tears. Something awakens in him, is it guilt? Fear? Love? Perhaps a mix of the three emotions, but Dimitri sits back, and shakes his head.

“No, Professor, do not cry because of me,” he sounds just as gentle, as fearful as he did when he was younger, back when he could smile. “Professor, please, don’t-”

Byleth wipes his eyes.

“I cry for you, Dimitri, not because of you. I miss seeing a hopeful look in your eyes,” he admits. “Byleth. Call me Byleth. Enough formalities, please-”

“Byleth, I am not worth your tears.”

“You are worth everything to me, Dimitri.”

There’s a moment of silence, and the two of them embrace, wordlessly, in the eyes of the goddess. The cathedral is only illuminated by the moonlight outside, a rainbow of light caressing them as gently as they hold each other. There is nothing that they can say that can express how they feel more than this. Before this moment, Byleth could only fear that Dimitri was beyond consolation, that when he speaks to the spectres in his mind he’s gone for good, that he would never see the smile that he had so loved before the Flame Emperor reared her head and revealed her face. But now, there is hope. 

The world around Dimitri is silent. There is not much to do in this moment but cry, and that is okay. Together, hope can be found, and together, they would join hands and rebuild what had been lost.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh this is my first fe3h piece i'm publishing and it's at 3:30 am :") a few of my twitter mutuals read this for me and gave me some feedback so thank you guys so much :""")
> 
> dimitri xcx  
> @dimitriloid  
> its dimileth w mbyleth because i dont write heterosexuals  
> 2:16 AM · Oct 14, 2020·Twitter Web App
> 
> i mostly draw and stuff but if youd like to follow my twitter, i'm @dimitriloid.  
> title is from the sufjan stevens song "all to myself".


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